University of Houston is excited to announce its procurement of the Zine Fest Houston Records! Consisting primarily of zines (self-published, small circulation, non-commercial booklets or magazines), ephemera, and print items, the collection documents zine culture in Gulf Coast region and throughout the country. Materials in the collection range from the 1980s to present, and focus on a range of topics, including art, feminism, LGBTQ issues, Latina/o’s, and humor.

Curator and archivist for the collection, Lisa Cruces, states, “I’m thrilled to have the ZFH records finally here! Because of their format and the perception of being disposable, zines and other smaller publications are often overlooked, but in my opinion they are valuable snapshots of communities.”

Acquired from zinester, Shane Patrick Boyle, and Zine Fest Houston organizers, Maria-Elisa Heg, Stacy Kirages, and Sarah Welch, the collection is the result of their personal collecting, as well as contributions from the annual Zine Fest Houston event. Usually held in the fall, Zine Fest is a grassroots event dedicated to promoting zines, mini-comics, and other forms of small press, alternative, underground, DIY media, and art. More information on the festival and related events can be found here at the Zine Fest Houston website.

(Zine Fest Houston Records, University of Houston Special Collections)

Currently 10 linear feet in size, the Zine Fest Houston Records will continue to grow. “We agreed to donate the Zine Fest Houston Archive to University of Houston because we wanted to share and celebrate the history of the organization and the zines that have been produced by the artists, creators, and activists of South Texas from the early 1990s through today with the entire Houston community, and students, visiting scholars and professors at the University. The University of Houston is also a good fit in terms of location and archive storage facilities. We couldn’t be happier with the partnership that has formed and look forward to adding to the collection throughout the years,” state Heg, Kirages, and Welch.